Norris sheds light on Hamilton-related Twitter apology

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Lando Norris says the public apology he made earlier this week for the "stupid and careless" comments expressed after the Portuguese GP was related to Lewis Hamilton and to his record 92nd win.

On Tuesday, Norris took to Twitter to apologise for his words, although he did not specify the exact comments to which the apology related.

"I’ve been stupid and careless with some things I’ve said lately in media and interviews and haven’t shown the respect I should have to certain people," wrote the McLaren driver.

Ahead of this weekend's Emilia Romagna GP at Imola, Norris confirmed that the tweet related to his reaction last weekend at Portimão when he was asked about Hamilton's record 92nd win, and responded by saying that it didn't mean anything to him.

"He’s in a car which should win every race, basically," Norris said at the time. "He has to beat one or two other drivers, that’s it."

Norris says he personally contacted Hamilton to apologize for his comments.

"I messaged him," he said on Friday. "I don't know if you knew at the time but I never mean to say something like that in a bad way, or put any bad light on him at all, and I respect everything he's done to achieve what he's done.

"It's incredible no matter what. It was just the way I put it was not the way I wanted to put it across. So, I said what I said, I apologised, and I've just got to move on."

Read also: Norris apologises for 'stupid and careless' comments

Norris insisted he had not been pressured to own up to his comments, but had noted a deluge of negative reactions to his comments on social media.

"It was all done off my own back," he said. "No one pressured me, it wasn't something anyone even said, it wasn't something that many people even noticed.

"But I woke up in the morning, I looked on social media and there was just a lot more bad comments than good about the things I said.

"Like I said, I never mean any of it to be put in that way or taken out of context in a bad way, especially against Lewis.

"I saw how it was going down, and I felt bad because it's not the person I am in any way – to put shame on someone or not have the respect for such a driver.

"I made the decision in the morning to put up the tweet and just issue my apology and messaged Lewis at the same time just to set things straight."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.